Introduction The Neolithic period began in Northern Europe several thousand years after it began in the Near East. The movement from the Mesolithic period to the Neolithic period is marked by a shift from exclusive hunting and gathering subsistence to a mainly agriculturally based subsistence, which led to a more settled existence and a new form of art – monumental stone architecture (called megalithic.) The megalithic structures of Northern Europe can be classified into three basic …showed first 75 words of 505 total…

…showed last 75 words of 505 total…an orientation to the winter solstice, at which time a beam of light shines down the passageway to illuminate the inner chamber. Alignments Alignments are perhaps the most famous of the Neolithic monuments. These monuments consist of one or more standing stone arranged in lines, circles, and horseshoes. These stones are rough-hewn slabs of stone, standing upright in the ground. Rather than being tombs, these monuments are thought to be outdoor temples or astronomical calendars.